Milford Hatchery

The Milford Fish Hatchery is a state-of-the-art facility and one of only a few warm water, "intensive-culture" fish hatcheries in the country. Its objective is the rearing of sport fish for the more than 300,000 Kansas anglers.

The hatchery is one of four department hatcheries in the state. The older facilities at Pratt, Meade, and Farlington use an "extensive" system of fish culture in which earthen ponds are used for hatching and rearing. The Milford Fish Hatchery uses an "intensive" system in which eggs are hatched in small containers, and fish are grown in fiberglass tanks and concrete raceways. The Milford Hatchery also has six one-acre plastic lined ponds that are used to raise fish. Some advantages are that more fish can be raised in less water and the health of the fish can be monitored daily.

Construction of the hatchery was completed in January, 1985, at a total cost of $4.5 million. The Milford Hatchery was financed by money from fishing license fees. The majority of the funding was provided by a $3.00 hatchery fee added to the cost of a regular fishing license.